Storage medium including metadata and reproduction apparatus and method therefor
A storage medium including metadata, which provide an extended search function using a variety of search keywords on audio-visual data, and a reproduction apparatus and a reproduction method of reproducing the storage medium. The storage medium includes: audio-visual data; and metadata to provide an extended search function on the audio-visual data, wherein the metadata include a predefined search keyword and a search keyword which may be additionally defined by an author. Accordingly, by using a variety of search keywords additionally defined by an author as well as predefined search keywords, providing an extended search function is possible. In addition, by recording only portions of the metadata relative directly to supporting multiple languages in an additional text-based file, providing an extended search function using a plurality of languages is also possible.
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This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 11/176,239, filed Jul. 8, 2005, now pending, which claims the benefit of Korean Application No. 2004-60281, filed Jul. 30, 2004, and Korean Application No. 2004-108022, filed Dec. 17, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION1. Field of the Invention
An aspect of the present invention relates to reproduction of audio-visual (AV) data recorded in a storage medium, and, more particularly to a storage medium including metadata, which provide an extended search function using a variety of search keywords on audio-visual data, and an apparatus and method of reproducing the storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Storage media such as DVDs may store audio-visual data including video data, audio data, and/or subtitles, all of which are compressed and encoded in accordance with standards such as Motion Picture Experts Group (MPEG). Such storage media may further store additional information such as encoding attributes of the audio-visual data or reproduction procedures of the audio-visual data. Accordingly, motion pictures that are recorded in the storage media are reproduced sequentially in accordance with the reproduction information. In some cases, the audio-visual data may be reproduced through a jump in a unit of chapters.
However, the conventional storage may not be reproduced through a jump to a desired scene in accordance with a user's search conditions. That is, there does not exist an apparatus or a method of reproducing audio-visual data in accordance with the user's desired search conditions such as scene, characters, locations, background music, properties, etc.
Since the audio-visual data are compressed, encoded, and multiplexed in accordance with the MPEG2 standard, conventional DVDs have problems in storing metadata that provides search functions on audio-visual data. Also there is little possibility to edit or reuse audio-visual data or metadata once the storage medium has been produced.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAn aspect of the present invention provides a storage medium including metadata, which provide an extended search function using a variety of search keywords on audio-visual data, and an apparatus for and a method of reproducing the storage medium.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium including: audio-visual data; and metadata to provide an extended search function on the audio-visual data, wherein the metadata include a predefined search keyword and a search keyword which may be additionally defined by an author. The metadata may be embodied in a binary type, and the metadata may include additional text fields to additionally define the author-defined search keyword and a keyword value of the author-defined search keyword. The metadata may be embodied in a text-based markup language type, and the metadata may include additional elements or attributes for additionally defining the author-defined search keyword and a keyword value of the author-defined search keyword. Parameters irrelative to supporting multiple languages in the metadata may be included in a binary type in the audio-visual data, and parameters relative to supporting multiple languages may be embodied in an additional text-based file.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproduction apparatus comprising: a search unit to search a storage medium for a position of audio-visual data satisfying a predetermined search condition with reference to metadata, the storage medium including the audio-visual data and the metadata providing an extended search function on the audio-visual data; and a reproduction unit to reproduce the audio-visual data from the searched-out position, wherein the metadata includes a predetermined search keyword and a search keyword which may be additionally defined by an author. The search unit may select the metadata corresponding to language information supporting subtitle, audio, and/or menu stored in a system parameter.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproduction method comprising: searching a storage medium for a position of audio-visual data satisfying a predetermined search condition with reference to metadata, the storage medium including the audio-visual data and the metadata providing an extended search function on the audio-visual data; and reproducing the audio-visual data from the searched-out position, wherein the metadata includes a predetermined search keyword and a search keyword which may be additionally defined by an author.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium including: audio-visual data; and metadata to provide an extended search function on the audio-visual data, wherein the metadata include a predefined search keyword and a search keyword which may be additionally defined by an author, and the metadata are included in information on an entire disk and/or title information.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproduction apparatus comprising: a search unit to search a storage medium for information on an entire disk and/or title information satisfying a predetermined search condition with reference to metadata, the storage medium including the audio-visual data and the metadata providing an extended search function on the audio-visual data; and a display unit to display the information on the entire disk and/or title information, wherein the metadata includes a predetermined search keyword and a search keyword which may be additionally defined by an author.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reproduction method comprising: searching a storage medium for information on an entire disk and/or title information satisfying a predetermined search condition with reference to metadata, the storage medium including the audio-visual data and the metadata providing an extended search function on the audio-visual data; and displaying the information on the entire disk and/or title information, wherein the metadata includes a predetermined search keyword and a search keyword which may be additionally defined by an author.
Additional and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures.
On the other hand, referring to
Accordingly, the type values corresponding to desired search keywords among the predefined metadata type values are allocated to the search points 111 in the audio-visual data stream. Then, keyword values corresponding to the search keywords are allocated to respective description fields 112. For example, when a user intends to search out only those scenes in which the character “Neo” appears in the movie “The Matrix”, “0 indicating a character in the metadata type 111 is allocated to the search points in which “Neo” appears in the audio-visual data stream, and “Neo” is specified as a description field 112 indicating the keyword value. As a result, a user may search out and reproduce only the scenes in which “Neo” appears from the audio-visual data stream.
That is, while storage media such as conventional DVDs support only reproduction based on scenes, chapters, or time, the metadata embodied as shown in
However, in
More specifically, an example of a markup document in which the metadata shown in
Referring to
That is, in the metadata according to the present embodiment, the search keywords are not defined in advance as shown in
On the other hand,
Next, relations between the metadata in which the author may add a new search keyword and the audio-visual data providing high-quality video will be described.
The clip as a recording unit of the audio-visual data includes a clip A/V stream 540 in which a video data stream, an audio data stream, and other data streams compressed and encoded are recorded and clip information 530 in which information on encoding attributes for the clip A/V stream 540 is recorded. The clip A/V stream 540 multiplexes the video data stream, the audio data stream, and other data streams, compresses and encodes the multiplexed data streams, and records the compressed and encoded data streams. Each packet is identified by a Packet Identification (PID) as a packet identifier.
On the other hand, the play list 510 to indicate a play sequence which specifies a reproduction order of the audio-visual data as a unit of reproduction includes play items 120a to 120c. That is, the play list 510 includes a plurality of play items (in this case, play items 120a to 120c).
Specifically, the play list 510 further includes a play list mark 511 to indicate specific positions of the above-mentioned clip. The play list mark includes the metadata 512 to provide an extended search function according to an embodiment of the present invention. An example in which the metadata 512 is included and recorded in the play list mark 511 of the play list 510 is shown in
The play items 120a to 120c include information such as “name” and “IN_time” and “OUT_time” of the clip information 530 file to be reproduced, so as to specify a clip or clips to be reproduced and a reproducing position or positions in the corresponding clip.
Specifically, as shown in the figure, the play list mark 511, used to specify a specific position in the play list, has the following structure.
As is described above, the metadata enables an author to newly define a search keyword using the keyword field 630 and to designate a keyword value corresponding to the search keyword using the description field 640. Accordingly, the author may newly add a variety of search keywords.
On the other hand, since the play list mark 511 including the metadata is included in a binary type in the play list as shown in
However, it is understood that the play list mark 511 included in a binary type in the play list 510 may additionally provide support for multiple languages. That is, the reproduction apparatus to reproduce data recorded on the storage medium, according to the present invention, loads all the play lists on a memory, then extracts search keywords, which may be selected from the metadata information by a user by using an application having a programming function recorded in the storage medium or a specific module in the reproduction apparatus, and displays the extracted search keywords on a display unit. At this time, the search keywords are displayed in a specific language recorded in the keywords and descriptions when first preparing the metadata. That is, the play list mark 511 included in a binary type in the play list has a disadvantage of not supporting multiple languages.
Here, preparing the play list in all languages to support a plurality of languages is not desirable. This is due to the fact that great resources included in the keyword and description fields so as to support such a plurality of languages require a greater memory.
In order to solve such a problem, the structure of metadata to support the plurality of languages is now described as another embodiment of the present invention.
As is described above, general audio-visual data are multiplexed into a variety of applications such as graphic streams for subtitles or menus in a main audio-video data stream. This is due to the fact that binding and synchronizing the applications with the main audio-visual data stream is relatively easy.
Therefore, in another embodiment of the present invention, only the keyword portions and the description portions of the metadata that are directly relative to the support for multiple languages are embodied in an additional text-based metadata type, and the identifier information or the time information of the metadata directly irrelative to the support for multiple languages are included in a binary type in the main audio-visual data stream.
Accordingly, the reproduction apparatus may obtain the metadata, the time of application, and information on the predefined keywords using the play list included in the main audio-visual data stream. By defining only the author-defined keywords and the descriptions thereof in the text-based metadata file, reducing the size of the metadata file is possible. In addition, since the keywords and the descriptions thereof exist in a particular file other than the main audio-visual data stream, supporting multiple languages is also possible.
Referring to
Referring to the bit structure of the keyword descriptor 720 shown in
On the other hand, the text-based metadata file 713 exists separately from the above-mentioned play list mark 511 so as to support multiple languages. It is desirable that the text-based metadata file 713 includes language information to indicate supported languages as attribute information (“lang” in the figure) so as to support multiple languages. Specifically, it is desirable that the same language code as is designated in a reproduction apparatus status register to store language information on any one of a subtitle, audio data, and a menu of the reproduction apparatus is used for the language information. Furthermore, since the text-based metadata file 713 is independent of the above-mentioned play list mark 511, it is desirable that the text-based metadata file 713 includes identifiers of the storage medium (“disc_id” in the figure) and/or title identifier information (“title_id” in the figure) for the binding to the main audio-visual data stream.
The metadata file 713 shown at the lower end of
Specifically, it is assumed that the keyword descriptor 720 included in the play list mark of
Of course, the elements <author_defined> may indicate and respectively, and the elements <param> 725 may indicate and respectively, in Korean. Accordingly, providing the extended search function supporting multiple languages correspondingly to the language required by a user is possible.
A reproduction apparatus and a reproduction method to reproduce the storage medium including the above-mentioned metadata will now be described.
The search unit 840 searches the storage medium for the position of the audio-visual data satisfying a predetermined search condition externally input with reference to the metadata. Here, the storage medium includes a plurality of metadata used as a search reference of the audio-visual data.
That is, the search unit 840 receives the metadata from the read unit 820, compares information on the search keywords included in the metadata with the predetermined search condition externally input, and then transmits position information of the audio-visual data included in a play list mark corresponding to the search condition or an additionally-defined mark to the reproduction unit 850. The reproduction unit 850 reproduces the corresponding part of the audio-visual data on the basis of the position information of the audio-visual data searched out by the search unit 840.
The reproduction method of reproducing the storage medium including the metadata according to an embodiment of the present invention is described based on the structure described above.
Specifically, in searching out the position of the audio-visual data with reference to the metadata, the input search condition and the search keyword information of the metadata are compared with each other to search out a play list mark corresponding to the search condition or an additionally-defined mark, and the corresponding position of the audio-visual data is searched out with reference to the position information included in the searched-out play list mark or the additionally-defined mark.
Hitherto, the data structure, the reproduction apparatus, and the reproduction method to provide the extended search function on the audio-visual data included in the respective titles of the storage medium by using the metadata have been described in detail. In addition, an extended structure of metadata and an embodying method thereof to provide the extended search function on an entire disk as well as the respective titles to enlarge the extended search function will be described.
More specifically, the disk information 1010 may include metadata relative to production of the disk, metadata relative to resources of the disk, and metadata 1012 defined by the author of the disk. The metadata relative to the production of the disk may include disk name, content list, copyright, release information, etc. The metadata relative to resources of the disk may include thumbnail or URL addresses of relevant information.
On the other hand, similarly to the disk information 1010, the title information 1020 may include metadata relative to production of contents, metadata relative to presentation of the contents, metadata relative to classification of the contents, metadata relative to resources of the contents, and metadata 1022 defined by the author of the contents. The metadata relative to production of the contents may include title name, title type, information on organizations involved in production and release of the title, etc. The metadata relative to presentation of the contents may include aspect ratio, subtitles, run time, information on support for audio, etc. The metadata relative to classification of the contents may include credit, promotion information, content type, review, etc. The credit is information on persons relative to production of the titles and may include information on actor, director, producer, music producer, scenario writer, etc. The promotion information is associated with genre, language, parental guide, etc. The metadata relative to resources of the contents may include synopsis, information on prize, and information on URL addresses of relevant data.
Referring to
An example in which the author-defined metadata are embodied in a markup document type is shown in
On the other hand,
On the other hand,
Referring to
As is described above, according to aspects of the present invention, there is provided a storage medium including metadata, which provide an extended search function using a variety of search keywords on audio-visual data, and reproduction apparatus and method of reproducing the storage medium.
Specifically, the metadata according to aspects of the present invention provide the search keywords which may be additionally defined by an author, in addition to the predefined search keywords.
Accordingly, the conventional problem may be solved that the audio-visual data or the metadata in a storage medium once produced could not be edited or reused, so that providing an extended search function using a variety of keywords defined by an author at the time of reproduction is possible.
Furthermore, by recording only portions of the metadata directly relative to the support for multiple languages in an additional text-based file, providing an extended search function using a plurality of languages is possible.
Further, providing an extended search function of searching out and displaying the information on contents in a unit of disks or in a unit of titles is also possible.
On the other hand, the extended search method according to aspects of the present invention may be embodied as computer programs. Codes and code segments constituting the programs may be easily construed by programmers skilled in the art. The programs may be stored in a computer readable medium and read by a computer, thereby embodying the extended search method. Examples of the computer readable medium include magnetic media and optical media. Of course, other types of computer readable media are possible.
Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A storage medium to be used with a reproducing apparatus and to store data including audio/visual (AV) data and metadata, the storage medium comprising:
- a plurality of scene elements of the AV data comprising a plurality of scenes;
- keyword elements as specific elements of the corresponding scene elements, each keyword element comprising a search keyword, which an author selectively defines, as a content of the corresponding scene element, the search keyword being used by the reproducing apparatus in searching for each scene of the AV data; and
- a description element, comprising a keyword value corresponding to the author-defined search keyword as content thereof, as a specific element of each keyword element,
- wherein the author-defined search keyword is additionally defined by an author, and enables the author to add information that is necessary to describe content of the storage medium and
- wherein the author defined keyword comprises a first element and a second element,
- the first element comprises a field and the search keyword defined by the author, the field indicating that the search keyword defined by the author is defined by the author,
- the second element is in a lower level of the search keyword defined by the author, and comprises an actual keyword value which specifies a particular value of the search keyword defined in the first element.
2. The storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the keyword elements and/or the description element are attributes of the corresponding scene element.
3. A reproducing apparatus to reproduce data recorded on a storage medium, the data including audio-visual (AV) data and metadata, the apparatus comprising:
- a read unit configured to read: the AV data comprising a plurality of scenes; and the metadata comprising at least one search keyword which is used by the reproducing apparatus in searching for each scene of the audio-visual data from the storage medium;
- a search unit configured to search the storage medium for a position of the AV data that satisfies an externally input predetermined search condition with reference to the metadata; and
- a reproduction unit configured to reproduce a corresponding part of the AV data, based on the position of the AV data that satisfies an externally input predetermined search condition,
- wherein the at least one search keyword comprises: a predefined search keyword, and an author defined search keyword which is to be additionally defined by an author, and
- wherein the author defined search keyword enables the author to add information that is necessary to describe content of the storage medium, and
- wherein the author defined keyword comprises a first element and a second element,
- the first element comprises a field and the search keyword defined by the author, the field indicating that the search keyword defined by the author is defined by the author,
- the second element is in a lower level of the search keyword defined by the author, and comprises an actual keyword value which specifies a particular value of the search keyword defined in the first element.
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the search unit is further configured to:
- receive the metadata from the read unit;
- compare information on search keywords included in the metadata with the search condition; and
- then transmit position information of the AV data and/or an additionally-defined play mark to the reproduction unit.
5. A method of operating a reproducing apparatus to reproduce audio/visual (AV) data recorded on a storage medium, the AV data including metadata, the method comprising:
- inputting a predetermined search condition;
- reading the AV data comprising a plurality of scenes and the metadata from the storage medium;
- searching out a position of the AV data satisfying the predetermined search condition with reference to the metadata; and
- reproducing the AV data from the searched-out position,
- wherein the metadata comprises at least one search keyword which is used by the reproducing apparatus in searching for each scene of the AV data,
- wherein the at least one search keyword comprises: a predefined search keyword, and an author defined search keyword which is to be additionally defined by an author, and
- wherein the author defined search keyword enables the author to add information that is necessary to describe content of the storage medium, and
- wherein the author defined keyword comprises a first element and a second element,
- the first element comprises a field and the search keyword defined by the author, the field indicating that the search keyword defined by the author is defined by the author,
- the second element is in a lower level of the search keyword defined by the author, and comprises an actual keyword value which specifies a particular value of the search keyword defined in the first element.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Dec 30, 2008
Date of Patent: Nov 27, 2012
Patent Publication Number: 20090112856
Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (Suwon-si)
Inventors: Hye-jeong Chun (Yongin-si), Sung-wook Park (Seoul), Kil-soo Jung (Hwaseong-si), Jung-wan Ko (Suwon-si)
Primary Examiner: Truong Vo
Attorney: NSIP Law
Application Number: 12/346,057